“This is the value for me of writing books that children read. Children aren't interested in your appalling self-consciousness. They want to know what happens next. They force you to tell a story.” KnowsWantWritingChildrenBookSelfStoriesHappensValuesNextForceConsciousnessWriting A BookSelf Consciousness Author:Philip Pullman
“A story, to me, has a particular sprite, like the angel of the spirit of that story - and it's my job to attend to what it wants to do.” WantStoriesJobsSpiritParticularAngel Author:Philip Pullman
“A story, to me, has a particular sprite, like the angel of the spirit of that story - and it's my job to attend to what it wants to do. When I tell the story of Cinderella, the sprite does not want me to make it into an allegory of the fall of communism. The sprite would be unhappy if I did that.” IfsWantDoeStoriesWould BeJobsSpiritFallParticularAngelUnhappyCommunismWant MeAllegory Author:Philip Pullman
“I think it's perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don't know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away. Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it's because he's ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they're responsible for promoting in his name. If I were him, I'd want nothing to do with them.” IfsThinkingKnowsWantWellsMayReligionUniverseNamesIgnoranceSightResponsibleCrueltyAshamedHidingFollowersPromoting Author:Philip Pullman
“No,' he said, 'memory's a poor thing to have. It's your own real hair and mouth and arms and eyes and hands I want. I didn't know I could ever love anything so much.” KnowsWantSaidRealHandsEyeMemoriesPoorHairArmsMouthsReal Hair Book:The Amber Spyglass Source: The Amber Spyglass
“Maybe sometimes we don't do the right thing because the wrong thing looks more dangerous, and we don't want to look scared, so we go and do the wrong thing just because it's dangerous. We're more concerned with not looking scared than with judging right.” WantLooksSometimesFearDangerousJudgingConcernedScaredRight ThingWrong Things Book:The Amber Spyglass Source: The Amber Spyglass
“Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit.” KnowsWantHumansLittlesHas BeensIncreaseStrongerHumbleSubmitWiserBe HumbleHuman Freedom Book:The subtle knife Source: The subtle knife
“If you want something you can have it, but only if you want everything that goes with it, including all the hard work and the despair, and only if you're willing to risk failure.” IfsWantHardRiskWillingHard WorkDespairIncludingWant Something Author:Philip Pullman
“I'm just trying to wake up - I'm so afraid of sleeping all my life and then dying - I want to wake up first. I wouldn't care if it was just for an hour, as long as I was properly alive and awake.” IfsWantTryingFirstsLongCareHoursSleepAliveDyingWake UpAwake Book:The Amber Spyglass Source: The Amber Spyglass
“If you want to write anything that works, you have to go with the grain of your talent, not against it. If your talent is inert and sullen in the face of business or politics...but takes fire at the thought of ghosts and vampires and witches and demons then feed the flames, feed the flames.” IfsWantWritingFacesFireTalentGhostVampireFlamesDemonWitchGrainSullen Author:Philip Pullman
